Ornamental key hold for handbags



Jan. 27, 1942.

N. L. FULTON ORNAMENTAL KEY HOLD FOR HANDBAGS Fi led May 27, 1941 W225 z. Fizz);

GttomegS.

Patented Jan. 27, 1942 UNITED STATE s PATENT 1 OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in ornamental key holds for bandbags which are carried particularly by ladies, and the invention has for its primary object to provide a device, in the nature of an attachment to the bandbag, for supporting a key, for instance the key of the house residence front door, in a position always accessible for detachment and use in opening such front door, as when the proprietress returns from a shopping tour downtown laden with bundles of purchases.

The invention has for its additional purpose the provision of a key hold for ladies handbags which will present the key at all times to the proprietress of the bag in the same known position elevated above the bottom of the bag to dispense with entirely the rummaging through the miscellaneous articles in the bottom of the bag in order by process of elimination to sort out and isolate the wanted key; which process must always be conducted under the disadvantageous circumstance of generally having only one hand for the purpose, the other being occupied with bundles or the like.

A further object of the'invention is to provide an improved key hold susceptible of receiving an ornamental characteristic.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing an improved key hold in which facility in the attachment of the key hold to the handbag is promoted, and wherein the attachmerit of the key hold is made more secure, at the same time cooperating with the hook of the key hold to hold the hook more tightly closed but at the same time enabling the more ready opening of the hook in the acts of inserting or removing the key.

A still further object of the invention resides in certain constructional characteristics of the key hold, in the initial formation of the blank from which the same is fashioned, in the new and more efiicient cooperation of the improved key hold with the partition or wall of the handbag to prevent its accidental removal therefrom and to maintain the same in place, and in certain improvements in the hook and its cooperation with the key hold.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved ornamental key holdconstructed in accordance with the present invention and, shown as applied to a wall of a handbag indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a side edge view of the same, with parts broken away and parts shown in section, and

Figure 3 is a plan view. of the blank employed.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the device is preferably madefrom a thin flat piece of spring steel or brass having a strong spring action and is composed generally of a back wall I!) and a front wall composed of an upper section H and a lower section l2. The lower section I2 is substantially parallel with the back wall. Ill and will lie substantially in contact withthe front surface of the back wall II] when the device is in the condition shown'in Figure 2; that is when it is detached from the handbag and under the influence of its own inherent resiliency. The upper section II ofthe front wall is'also 'substantially parallel with the upper part of the back wall In but spaced forwardly therefrom.

The bight or hinge connection [3 is the fold line on which the metallic strip forming the blank shown in Figure 3 is bent to secure the rear and the front walls referred to. This bight is open, that is spaced from both front and back walls in order topermit freedom of movement of the two walls in spring apart or together.

The hook for the key is shown at I4, and as having a lip l5 which lip is bent in a curved sweep outwardly and downwardly from the upper end of the hook l4.

Shoulders I6 and I! are incorporated in the construction. The shoulder l6 connects the-two sections H and I2 of the front wall. The shoulder ll comes downwardly and forwardly off the and beneath the shoulder I6. The rear portion hold hook [4 rather than depressing the free,

end of the lip [5 which would cause the key to slide outwardly in the opposite direction.

Spurs 2| and 22 are carried respectively by the back wall I and the shoulder H. The pointed end of the spur 2| is received in a forwardly offset enclosed dome 23 of the front wall lower section |2. The free end of the spur 22 is received in or through a perforation 24 formed in the base of the hook I4. These spurs are preferably triangular in shape, as indicated in Figure 3, connected by their basal lines with the metal strip and foldable on such long basal lines, and with the apexes thereof, constituting the, prongs, directed outwardly at their free edges in order to bite into the cloth of the wall of the handbag. Such prongs are given an initial diagonal bend outwardly and forwardly from the back wall I 0 as seen in Figure 2. The prong 2| extends forwardly towards the dome 23. The prong or spur 22 extends upwardly and into the'perforation 24.

The base of the hook |4 adjoining the shoulder extends to a. low point. 25-. This point 25 is. low. with, respect. to the shoulder |T in order to guide.v the cloth into the. throat between the. shoulder 24 and base of the hook i4 and to cause the cloth or other material of the partition wall to. be, directed between the front. and back walls of the device. If it were not for this low point 25 in. the. curvature of the lower base part of the. hook I4, the'edge of the partition wall over which, it was sought. to insert the device. might conceivably be directed outwardly to the outer side of the hook M by reasonof the curvature thereof.

The pilot foot is rounded at its lower edge as. indicated at 26 to facilitate the application of the device to the.- handbag partition.

An ornament is indicated at 21 as being in.- corporated' in the metallic article. This ornamentmay be made integral with the. strip or the strip may be enlarged at this point and a separate monogram or other ornamental device applied thereto in any suitable: manner. such as. by soldering, brazing, etc.

The partition wall of the handbag is indicated in dotted lines at 28.

In manufacture, the device may be, conveniently and economically stamped out in great numbers in the substantially flat form indicated in. Figure 3 at which time the prongs and dome 23 may be struck up and the perforation 24 pierced. Thereupon, the device is folded on the bight. line l3 in proximity t the ornament 21 to form the front and rear walls with the orna ment 2! occupying a prominent position upon the outer offset front wall upper section II. Upon. this section II the ornament 21 is inan intermediate position spaced above the throat |,6 |9-, therefore not interfering with the attachment and removal of the key; and spaced below the bight |-3 so as not to interfere with the free relative flexing of the front and rear walls of the device in theact of applying the device over the'wall 28 or removing it therefrom.

The shoulders l6 and IT are offset and the key hook l4 and lip |5 bent to shape. The prongs or spurs will automatically take up the positions indicated in Figure 2 and the wings orarms. of the ornament 2'! may be bent into a suitable artistic position.

In use, the device is inserted downwardly over the partition 28. In this act, the pilot foot |8 serves. to correctly place the device initially by locating such pilotfoot on the inside of the partition 28. The pilot foot also serves the function of. guiding the device downwardly while main-- taining it in its true position. The upper edge of the wall 28 encounters the low point 25 and is guided thereby into the throat H which is curved backwardly and thereby causes the partition 28 to acquire an offset 29 which tends to hold the device in place. As the device slips down over the partition the prongs 2| and 22 will be guided back into the planes of the back wall It! and shoulder I'I. However these prongs will bite into the fabric material of Wall 28 and prevent the device being pulled upwardly therefrom, except when the front and rear walls are pried far apart, which may be conveniently done by grasping the pilot foot |8 in one hand and the loop of th hook I4 in the other. The enclosed dome 23 will receive the pointed end of the prong 2| and shield it so that it will not prick the hand of the proprietress of the bag. A similar dome may be formed about the opening 2 4 if desired, although at this point the prong is shielded by the, bow of the hook M. It will be. noted that the prong 2| bites forwardly into the fabric of the wall 28- while the cooperating prong 22' bites upwardly into the offset portion 29 at substantially right angles to the action of the companion prong 2|. In this way, the shoulder- H has a three-fold function; first, to form the offset. 29-; secondly, to form a member of the lower throat; and thirdly, by its inclination to hold the prong; 22- at an anglev to the efiective action of the companion prong. 2|. Therefore. the offsetting of: shoulder cooperates with both of the prongs in. a new relationship, all of which contributes to the initial placing of they lziglding of the; article finally upon the bag wall The key may be simply thrust against thev side of. the high, point 20 and forcedinwardly and downwardly, which will cause it to pry out the cheek l9 from the shoulder I6 and admit the key through the throat and. onto the hook I4 where'it will be retained. in an elevated easily accessible position: at all times where it is known to be by the proprietress of. the bag. By the act of raising. the key,.it will be brought to the throat. and by reason of the bowed portion of the hook l4 it will cause the. cheek. l9 to be pried outwardly, thus; allowing of the escape of the key.

When the cheek L9. is thus pried out, the ac tion will. be also to. pry the same downwardly. This; action will be. communicated to the bow I l and downwardly to the base of the hook. In this: action the shoulder cooperates in that it is placed to resist such downward action of the base of the hook. l4. Thus the shoulder Il contributes toho-ld the cheek; I19 up against its upper shoulder 6 which is essentia1 to a closed position of the, ho.ok.. Thepresenceof the. shoulder I! together: with, the formation of: the base of the hook l4 and its low point 25 also tends to cause the cheek. l9. to. move horizontally outward from the. shoulder I6 rather than downward which willbetter: cooperate: with. the high point 20 to send the. key inwardly of the hook rather than sliding in the. other direction out upon the lip i5; and this compulsion. to a horizontal move ment in the cheek l9 will tend tobetter preserve the resiliency of: the device and will serve to provide longer life. in the device in that the cheek |9 will lie-prevented from having any tendencies to fall away from the shoulder t6; In fact, the lower shoulder |1 will tendto maintain the cheek |-9' at. all times up against the upper shoulder H5. The upper side of lip l5 forms a curved guiding surface for the key over the high point 20 into the throat I6, I 9. The lip I5 is also so bent as to provide a crook on its underside for the fingers to pull the cheek l9 horizontally outward to assist in either introducing or removing the key from the hook.

at their lower ends to fit over a support, a key hook on the front wall, and a pilot member on the rear wall extending below the front wall and hook, said pilot member offset forwardly of the rear wall below the base of the hook, and extending from the offset portion substantially below the lowermost closed curved portion of the hook and front wall.

2. An improved key hold or the like comprising front and rear walls resiliently connected at their upper portions, a hook bent up from the front wall and having a wide rounded base portion, and a pilot member projecting down from the rear wall below the hook and having an offset shoulder underlying an intermediate portion of the rounded base of the hook, said pilot member extending down a substantial distance below the rounded base of the hook.

3. In a key hold or the like, a resilient metal thin flat strip stamped and bent to form front and rear walls with the front wall in offset sections with an intermediate shoulder, an ornament on the upper section of the front wall, a

- rounded bight connecting the same resiliently hook on the lower section of the front wall with a rounded base, a curved cheek and a reversely curved lip, a pilot on the rear wall offset forwardly from the rear Wall with a shoulder therebetween to react against the rounded base to cause the cheek to firmly engage the first shoulder, triangular spring spurs in the back wall and second shoulder lying angularly with relation to one another, an enclosed dome in the front wall to receive the point of one spur, the base of the hook having a\ perforation to freely receive the point of vthe other spur, said pilot having a rounded lower edge.

4. In a key hold or the like, front and rea members and a hook of resilient one-piece material, said front member being biased by the inherent resiliency to a tight closed position against said rear member, said hook having a with the lower portion of the front member, said rear member having at its lower, portion a downwardly and forwardly extending shoulder lying with resilient pressure against the rear portion only of said curved bight, a spur on said shoulder extending substantially upwardly and inclined towards the rear member, said bight having an opening to receive said spur, a second spur spaced from the first spur and extending upwardly and forwardly from the rear member, said front member within the hook having a dome to receive said second spur, a second shoulder spaced considerably above and opposed to the first-mentioned shoulder and formed in the front member extending forwardly and upwardly therefrom, and a rounded bill on the free end of said hook forced resiliently against said second shoulder.

NELL L. FULTON. 

